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STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 4

Chapter 3 – Crafting the Curriculum

Module 4 – The Teacher as a Curriculum Designer

MODULE OVERVIEW

A curriculum as a planned sequence of learning experiences should be at the heart and mind
of every teacher. Every teacher as a curricularist should be involved in designing a curriculum. In
fact, it is one of the teachers’ roles as a curricularist. As such, you will be a part of the intellectual
journey of your learners. You will be providing them the necessary experiences that will enable the
learner what you intend them learn.
As a curriculum designer this task was not given much attention in the past. Every single day,
a teacher designs a lesson or utilizes a curriculum that has been made and was previously written.
Designing a curriculum is a very challenging task. Thus this module will provide the necessary
concepts and activities that you as a teacher can refer to as you prepare yourself to be a curriculum
designer.

Lesson 1. Fundamentals of Curriculum Designing

MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. identify the fundamentals of curriculum designing

2. appreciate the task of designing a curriculum

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

Content Focus
Definition of Curriculum Design
Curriculum design refers to the arrangement of the elements of a curriculum. These four
elements are intent (aims, goals, and objectives); subject matter or content; learning experiences;
and evaluation. In many books, curriculum design is used interchangeably with curriculum
organization. Posner (1997) provided an enlightening idea on how to differentiate these two related
terms in curriculum as he classified the activity of arranging curriculum elements or contents into
two. According to him, there is a macro and a micro level of organizing curriculum contents.
The macro level deals with arranging or organizing the total curriculum from the philosophy
down to the different contents of different subjects. The micro level on the other hand, deals with
organizing the content of a specific subject or discipline. The macro level of arranging the elements
and contents of the curriculum can be referred to as function of curriculum design while the micro
level is a function of curriculum organization. However, it is important to note that curriculum
organization is based on the curriculum design. Curriculum design provides a philosophical way of
organizing the contents and elements for the curriculum.

Building on Peter Oliva’s 10 Axioms for Curriculum Designers

Before a teacher designs a curriculum, it would be of great importance to connect to the

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fundamental concepts and ideas about the curriculum mentioned in Modules 1 and 2. Every
curriculum designer, implementer, or evaluator should take in mind the following general axioms as
a guide in curriculum development (Oliva, 2003):

1. Curriculum change is inevitable, necessary, and desirable. Earlier it was stated that one of the
characteristics of curriculum is its being dynamic. Because of this, teachers should respond to
the changes that occur in schools and in its context. Societal development and knowledge
revolution come so fast that the need to address the changing condition requires new
curriculum designs.
2. Curriculum is a product of its time. A relevant curriculum should respond to the changes
brought about by current social forces, philosophical positions, psychological principles, new
knowledge, and educational reforms. This is also called timeliness.
3. Curriculum change made earlier can exist concurrently with newer curriculum changes. A
revision in a curriculum starts and ends slowly. More often, curriculum is gradually phased in
and phased out, thus the changes that occur can coexist and oftentimes overlap for long
periods of time.
4. Curriculum change depends on people who will implement the change. Teachers who will
implement the curriculum should be involved in its development, hence should know how to
design a curriculum. Because the teachers are the implementers of the curriculum, it is best
that they should design and own the changes. This will ensure an effective and long lasting
change.
5. Curriculum development is a cooperative group activity. Group decisions in some aspects of
curriculum development are suggested. Consultations with stakeholders when possible will
add to a sense of ownership. Even learners should participate in some aspect of curriculum
designing. Any significant change in the curriculum should involve a broad range of
stakeholders to gain their understanding, support and input.
6. Curriculum development is a decision-making process made from choices of alternatives. A
curriculum developer or designer must decide what contents to teach, philosophy or point of
view to support, how to provide for multicultural groups, what methods or strategies, and
what type of evaluation to use.
7. Curriculum development is an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring, examination,
evaluation and improvement of curricula are to be considered in the design of the
curriculum. As the needs of learners change, as society changes, and as new knowledge and
technology appear, the curriculum must change.
8. Curriculum development is more effective if it is a comprehensive process, rather than a
“piecemeal”. A curriculum design should be based on a careful plan, should clearly establish
intended outcome, support resources and needed time available and should equip teaching
staff pedagogically.
9. Curriculum development is more effective when it follows a systematic process. A curriculum
design is composed of desired outcomes, subject matter content complemented with
references, set of procedures, needed materials and resources and evaluation procedure
which can be placed in a matrix.
10. Curriculum development starts from where the curriculum is. Curriculum planners and
designers should begin with existing curriculum. An existing design is a good starting point
for any teacher who plans to enhance and enrich a curriculum.

Building upon the ideas of Oliva, let us continue learning how to design a curriculum by
identifying its components. For most curricula, the major components or elements are answers to

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the following questions:

1. What learning outcomes need to be achieved? (Intended Learning Outcomes)
2. What content should be included to achieve the learning outcomes (Subject Matter)
3. What learning experiences and resources should be employed (Teaching-Learning Method)
4. How will the achieved learning outcomes be measure? (Assessment of Achieved
learning Outcomes)

Elements or Components of a Curriculum

There are many labels or names for curriculum design. Some would call it a syllabus, or a
lesson plan. Some would call it a unit plan or a course design. Whatever is the name of the design,
the common components for all of them are almost the same. However, some schools, institutions
or departments may add other minor parts or trimmings to the design.
Let us take the Lesson Plan as a miniscule curriculum. A lesson plan or teaching guide
includes (1) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) or the Desired Learning Outcomes (DLO) formerly
labeled as behavioral objectives, (2) Subject Matter or Content, (3) Teaching and Learning Methods,
and (4) Assessment Evaluation. Each of these components or elements is described below.

1. Behavioral Objectives or Intended Learning Outcomes

Begin with the end in view. The objectives or intended learning outcomes are the reasons for
undertaking the learning lesson from the student’s point of view; it is desired learning that is to
be accomplished in a particular learning episode, engaged in by the learners under the guidance
of the teacher. As a curriculum designer, the beginning of the learning journey is the learning
outcomes to be achieved. In this way, both the learners and the teacher are guided by what to
accomplish.
The behavioral objectives, intended learning outcomes or desired learning outcomes are
expressed in action words found in the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Objectives (Andersen &
Krathwohl, 2003) for the development of the cognitive skills. For the affective skills, the taxonomy
made by Krathwohl and for the psychomotor domain by Simpson.
The statement should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result oriented and Time
bound. |For a beginner, it would help if you provide the Condition, Performance, and Extent or
Level of Performance in the statement of the intended learning outcomes.
For example, if a lesson intends the student to identify the parts of a simple flower as stated
in the desired learning outcomes, then students should have identified the parts of a simple
flower, at the end of the lesson.
Sometimes the phrase intended learning outcomes is used to refer to the anticipated results
after completing the planned activity or lesson. In framing learning outcomes, it is a good
practice to:

- Express each outcome in terms of what successful students will be able to do. For example,
rather than stating Students will be able to explain the reason why… it should be: Students
must have explained the reasons why…’ this helps the students to focus on what they have
to achieve as learning. It will also help curricularist devise appropriate assessment tasks.
- Include different kinds of outcomes. The most common are cognitive objectives ((learning
facts, theories, formulae, principles, etc.) and performance outcomes (learning how to carry
out procedures, calculations and processes, which typically include gathering information
and communicating results). In some contexts, affective outcomes are important too (for

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developing attitudes or values, e.g. those required as a person and for a particular
profession).

II. Content/Subject Matter

The content of the lesson or unit is the topic or subject matter that will be covered. In
selecting content, you should bear in mind the following principles in addition to those
mentioned about the content in previous lessons:

- Subject matter should be relevant to the outcomes of the curriculum. An effective

curriculum is purposive and clearly focused on the planned learning outcomes.
- Subject matter should be appropriate to the level of the lesson or unit. An effective
curriculum is progressive, leading students towards building on previous lessons. Contents
which are too basic or too advanced for the development levels of learners make students
either bored or baffled, and affect their motivation to learn.
- Subject matter should be up to date and, if possible, should reflect current knowledge and
concepts.

References
The reference follows the content. It tells where the content or subject matter has been
taken. The reference maybe a book, module, or any publication. It must bear the author of the
material and if possible, the publication. Some examples are given below:

1. Project Wild (1992) K to 12 Activity Guide, An Interdisciplinary, supplementary

Conservation and Environmental Education Program. Council of Environmental Education,
Behtesda, MD
2. Shipman, James and Jerry Wilson, et al (2009). An Introduction to Physical Science.
Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston MA
3. Romo, Salvador B. (2013). Horticulture: An Exploratory Course. Lorimar Publishing Inc.
Quezon City
4. Bilbao, Purita P. and Corpuz, Brenda B. et al (2012). The Teaching Profession 2 nd Ed.
Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City

III. Teaching and Learning Methods

These are the activities where the learners derive experiences. It is always good to keep in
mind the teaching strategies that students will experience (lecture, laboratory classes, fieldwork,
etc.) and make them learn. The teaching-learning methods should allow cooperation,
competition as well as individualism or independent learning among the students. For example:

- Cooperative learning activities allow students to work together. Students are guided to learn on
their own to find solution to their problems. The role of the teachers is to guide the learners.
Democratic process is encouraged, and each one contributes to the success of learning.
Students learn from each other in ways. Group project and activities considerably enhance the
curriculum.
- Independent learning activities allow teachers to develop personal responsibility. The degree of
independence to learn how to learn is enhanced. This strategy is more appropriate for fast
learners.

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- Competitive activities, where students will test their competencies against another in a healthy
manner allow learners to perform to their maximum. Most successful individuals in their adult
life are competitive, even in early schooling. They mostly become the survivors in a very
competitive world.
- The use of various delivery modes to provide learning experiences is recommended. Online
learning and similar modes are increasingly important in many curricula, but these need to be
planned carefully to be effective.

IV. Assessment/Evaluation
Learning occurs most effectively when students receive feedback, i.e. when they receive
information on what they have already (and have not) learned. The process by which this
information is generated is assessment. It has three main forms:

- Self-assessment, through which students learn to monitor and evaluate their own learning. This
should be a significant element in the curriculum because we aim to produce graduates who
are appropriately reflective and self-critical.
- Peer assessment, in which students provide feedback on each other’s learning. This can be
viewed as an extension of self-assessment and presupposes trust and mutual respect. Research
suggests that students can learn to judge each other’s work as reliably as staff.
- Teacher assessment, in which the teacher prepares and administers tests and gives feedback on
the student’s performance.

Assessment may be formative (providing feedback to help the student learn more) or
summative (expressing a judgment on the student’s achievement by reference to stated criteria).
Many assessment tasks involve an element of both, e.g. an assignment that is marked and returned
to the student with detailed comments.
Summative assessment usually involves the allocation of marks or grades. This helps the
teacher make decisions about the progress of performance of students.
Students usually learned more by understanding the strengths weaknesses of their own work
than by knowing the mark or grade given to it. For this reason, summative assessment tasks
(including unseen examinations) should include an element of formative feedback, if possible.

Applications of the Fundamental Components to Other Curriculum Designs

While our example refers only to designing a lesson plan which is a mini curriculum, similar
components will also be used in making a syllabus for teaching in higher education courses or other
curricular projects. Based on the curriculum models we have learned, the fundamental components
include the following:

Major components of a Course Design or Syllabus

1. Intended Outcomes (or Objectives)
2. Content/Subject Matter (with references)
3. Methods/Strategies (with needed resources)
4. Evaluation (means of assessment)

All other additional components are trimmings that each designer may place. This additional
part may be an institutional template, suggested by other curriculum experts and as required by
educational agencies like the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education,

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Accrediting Agencies, and Professional Organizations that would serve the purposes they intend to
achieve.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Take Action
Activity 1: Finding an Example
Instruction: With a Partner . . . .
1. Secure a copy of a sample Lesson Plan
2. Using the matrix given below, analyze the sample you secured and give your suggestions based
on the principles and concepts you have learned in this module.

Components Copy from the sample Your comment/suggestion

Title of the Lesson Plan

Intended Learning
Outcomes/Objectives
Content/Subject Matter

Methods/Strategies

Answer briefly:
1. Which one principle of Oliva is reflected in the Lesson Plan? Explain briefly.
2. If you were to improve the design, what will you ad, or subtract or modify? Write your re-design
suggestion.

ASSESSMENT TASK

Self-Check
Which of the concepts do you clearly understand? Answer Yes or No to the questions that follow.
Questions Answer
As a curricularist and curriculum designer . . . . . Yes or No
1. Do you think curriculum change is inevitable?
2. Does curriculum change not consider the existing one?
3. Should curriculum be designed only by one person?
4. Should any change in curriculum include an evaluation process?
5. Does curriculum change mean total overhaul?
6. Should learning outcomes be considered first before the content?
7. Should learning methods consider only the expertise of the teacher?
8. Are time tested methods like inductive and lecture no longer useful?
9. Should contents be updated and relevant?
10. Is there only one design that a teacher should know?

If you got 10 correct answers out of 10 items, Congratulations! You are now ready to move to
the next lesson. If otherwise, you need to review this lesson. Good Luck.

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be Selection of
REFLECTION
Self-Reflect
Instructions: Provide answers to the incomplete sentences.
After reading and discussing with my classmates, this lesson on fundamentals of curriculum
designing or crafting a curriculum.

1. I realize that
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2. I realize that
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3. I realize that
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Lesson 2. Approaches to Curriculum Designing

MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. identify some familiar curriculum designs and approaches to the designs

2. analyze the approaches in the light of how these are applied in the school setting

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

Take Off
You have started to be familiar with the preliminaries of making a simple design through a
lesson plan components. You will further enrich your knowledge by looking into how other
curricularists approach the curriculum design. In this lesson, we will see how several examples of
curriculum designs are used in the schools and classrooms.

Content Focus
Types of Curriculum Design Models
There many ways at looking at curriculum and designing one. For our own purposes, let us
focus on the most widely used examples.

1. Subject-Centered Design
This is a curriculum design that focuses on the content of the curriculum. The subject-
centered design corresponds mostly to the textbook because textbooks are usually written
based on the specific subject or course. Henry Morrison and William Harris are the few
curricularists who firmly believed in this design. As practiced, schools hours are allocated to
different school subjects such as Science, Mathematics, language, Social Studies, Physical
Education and others. This is also practiced in the Philippines, because a school day is divided
into class period, a school year into quarters or semester. Most of the schools using this kind of
structure and curriculum design aim for excellence in the specific subject discipline content.

Subject-centered curriculum design has also some variations which are focused on the
individual subject, specific discipline and a combination of subjects or disciplines which are a
broad field or interdisciplinary.

1.1. Subject design. What subject are you teaching? What subject are you taking? These are two
simple questions that the teacher and the learner can easily answer. It is because they are
familiar with the subject design curriculum.
Subject design curriculum is the oldest and so far the most familiar design for
teachers, parents and other laymen. According to the advocates, subject design has an
advantage because it is easy to deliver. Textbooks are written and support instructional
materials are commercially available. Teachers are familiar with the format, because they
were educated using also the design. In the Philippine educational system, the number of

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subjects in the elementary education is fewer than in the secondary level. In college, the
number of subjects also differs according to the degree programs being pursued. For each
subject, a curriculum is being designed.
However, the drawback of this design is that sometimes, learning is so
compartmentalized. It stresses so much the content and forgets about students’ natural
tendencies, interests and experiences. The teacher becomes the dispenser of knowledge
and the learners are the simply the empty vessel to receive the information or content from
the teacher. This is a traditional approach to teaching and learning.
1.2 Discipline design. This curriculum design model is related to the subject design. However,
while subject design centers only on the clusters of content, discipline design focuses on
academic disciplines. Discipline refers to the specific knowledge learned through a method
which the scholars use to study a specific content of their fields. Students in history should
learn the subject matter like historians, students in biology should learn how the biologists
learn, and so with students in mathematics, who should learn how mathematician learn. In
the same manner, teachers should teach how the scholars in the discipline will convey the
particular knowledge.
Discipline design model of curriculum is often used in college, but not in the
elementary or secondary levels. So from the subject centered curriculum, curriculum moves
higher to a discipline when the students are more mature and are already moving towards
their career path or disciplines as science, mathematics, psychology, humanities, history
and others.
1.3 Correlation design. Coming from a core, correlated curriculum design links separate subject
designs in order to reduce fragmentation. Subjects are related to one another and still
maintain their identity. For example, English, literature and social studies, correlate well in
the elementary level. In the two subjects, while history is being studied, different literary
pieces during the historical period are also being studied. The same is true when science
becomes the core, , mathematics is related to it, as they are taken in chemistry, physics and
biology. Another example is literature as the core with art, music, history, geography
related to it. To use correlated design, teachers should come together and plan their
lessons cooperatively.
1.4 Broad filed design/interdisciplinary. Broad filed design or interdisciplinary is variation of the
subject centered design. This design was made to cure the compartmentalization of the
separate subjects and integrate the contents that are related to one another. Thus subjects
such as geography, economics, political science, anthropology, sociology and history are
fused into one subject called social studies. Language arts will include grammar, literature,
linguistics, spelling, and composition.
Sometimes called holistic curriculum, broad fields draw around themes and
integration. Interdisciplinary design is similar to thematic design, where a specific theme is
identified, and all other subject areas revolve around them.

2. Learner-Centered Design
Among the progressive educational psychologists, the learner is the center of the educative
process. This emphasis is very strong in the elementary level, however; more concern has been
placed on the secondary or even the tertiary levels. Although in high school, the subject or the
content has become the focus and in the college level, the discipline is the center, both levels still
recognize the importance of learner in the curriculum.
Here are some examples of curriculum designs which are learner-centered.

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2.1 Child-centered design. This design is often attributed to the influence of John Dewey,
Rouseau, Pestallozi and Froebel. This curriculum design is anchored on the needs and
interests of the child. The learner is not considered a passive individual but one who
engages with his/her environment. One learns by doing. Learners actively create; construct
meanings and understanding as viewed by the constructivists. In the child-centered design
learners interact with the teachers and the environment, thus there is a collaborative effort
on both sides to plan lessons, select content and do activities together. Learning is a
product of the child’s interaction with the environment.
2.2 Experience-centered design. This design is similar to the child-centered design. Although
the focus remains to be the child, experience-centered design believes that the interests
and needs of learners cannot be pre-planned. Instead, experiences of the learners become
the starting point of the curriculum, thus, the school environment is left open and free.
Learners are made to choose from various activities that the teacher provides. The learners
are empowered to shape their own learning from the different opportunities given by the
teacher. In a school where experience-centered curriculum is provided, different learning
centers are found, time is flexible and children are free to make options. Activities revolve
around different emphasis such as touching, feeling, imagining, constructing, relating and
others. The emergence of multiple intelligence theory blends well with experience-centered
design curriculum.
2.3 Humanistic design. The key influence in this curriculum design is Abraham Maslow and Carl
Rogers. Maslow’s theory of self-actualization explains that a person who achieves this level
is accepting of self, others and nature; possesses empathy and sympathy towards the less
fortunate among the many others. The person can achieve this state of self-actualization
later in life but has to start the process while still in school. Carl Rogers, on the other hand,
believed that a person can enhance self-directed learning by improving self-understanding,
the basic attitude to guide behavior.
In humanistic curriculum design, the development of self is the ultimate objective of
learning. It stresses the whole person and the integration of thinking, feeling and doing. It
considers the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains to be interconnected and
must be addressed in the curriculum. It stresses the development of positive self-concept
and interpersonal skills.

3. Problem-centered Design
Generally, problem-centered design draws on social problems, needs, interest and abilities of
the learners. Various problems are given emphasis. There are those that center on life situations,
contemporary life problems, areas of living and many others. In this curriculum, content cut
across subject boundaries and must be based on the needs, concerns and abilities of the
students. Two examples are given for the problem-centered design curriculum.

3.1 Life-situation design. What makes the design unique is that the contents are organized in
ways that allow students to clearly view problem areas. It uses the past and the present
experiences of the learners as a means to analyze the basic areas of living. As a starting
point, the pressing immediate problems of the society and the students’ existing concerns
are utilized. Based on Herbert spencer’s curriculum writing, his emphases were activities
that sustain life, enhance life, aid in rearing children, maintain the individual’s social and
political relations and enhance leisure, tasks and feelings. The connection of subject matter
to real life situations increases the relevance of the curriculum.

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3.2 Core-problem design. Another example of problem-centered design is core design. It

centers on general education and the problems are based on the common human
activities. The central focus of the core design includes common needs, problems, and
concerns of the learners. Popularized by Faunce and Bossing in 1959, it presented ways on
how to proceed using core design of curriculum. These are the steps:

Step 1. Make group consensus on important problems

Step 2. Develop criteria for selection of important problems.
Step 3. State and define the problem.
Step 4. Decide on areas of study, including class grouping.
Step 5. List the needed information for resources.
Step 6. Obtain and organize information.
Step 7. Analyze and interpret the information./
Step 8. State the tentative conclusions.
Step 9. Present a report to the class individually or by group.
Step 10. Evaluate the conclusions.
Step 11. Explore other avenues for further problem solving.

These are some examples of curricular designs. There are many more which are emerging
and those that have evolved in the past. The example given may be limited, however, for our
purposes, they can very well represent curriculum designs.

Approaches to Curriculum Design

How will a particular design be approached by the teacher? After writing a curriculum based
on the specific design, let us see how a teacher will approach this. We will find out the utilization of
the example design.

Child or Learner-Centered Approach. This approach to curriculum design is based on the

underlying philosophy that the child or the learner is the center of the educational process. It means
that the curriculum is constructed based on the needs, interest, purposes and abilities of the
learners. The curriculum is also built upon the learners’ knowledge, skills, previous learnings and
potentials.
From its design, how would a child-centered curriculum be approached? Let us consider these
principles.
Principles of Child-Centered Curriculum Approach
1. Acknowledge and respect the fundamental rights of the child.
2. Make all activities revolve around the overall development of the learner.
3. Consider the uniqueness of every learner in a multicultural classroom.
4. Consider using differentiated instruction or teaching.
5. Provide a motivating supportive learning environment for all the learners.
The child-centered approach is illustrated in the example below:

School X is anchored on the theory of multiple intelligences in all its curricular and co-
curricular activities. Every classroom provides activity centers where children can learn on their
own with the different learning resource materials. Learners can just choose which learning
center to engage in with different resources. This arrangement allows for the capacity of every
learner to be honed. It also allows learning how to learn, hence will develop independence. The
teacher acts as guide for every learner. The learner sets the goal that can be done within the
frame of time.
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Subject-Centered Approach. This is anchored on a curriculum design which prescribes separate

distinct subjects for every educational level: Basic education, higher education or vocational-
technical education. This approach considers the following principles:

1. The primary focus is the subject matter.

2. The emphasis is on bits and pieces of information which may be detached from life.
3. The subject matter serves as a means of identifying problems of living.
4. Learning means accumulation of content, or knowledge.
5. Teacher’s role is to dispense the content.

Example of subject-centered approach is given below:

In another setting, School Y aims to produce the best graduates in the school district.
Every learner must excel in all academic subjects to be on top of every academic competition.
The higher level of cognitive intelligence is, the better the learner. Hence, the focus of learning
is mastery of the subject matter in terms of content. Every student is expected to be always on
top in terms of mastery of discipline. Memorization and drill are important learning skills. The
school gives emphasis to intellectual development, and sets aside emotional, psychomotor and
even value development. Success means mastery of the content.

Problem-Centered Approach. This approach is based on a design which assumes that in the
process of living, children experiences problems. Thus, problem solving enables the learners to
become increasingly able to achieve complete or total development as individuals.
This approach is characterized by the following views and beliefs:

1. The learners are capable of directing and guiding themselves in resolving problems, thus
developing every learner to be independent.
2. The learners are prepared to assume their civic responsibilities through direct participation in
different activities.
3. The curriculum leads the learners in the recognition of concerns and problems in seeking
solutions. Learners are problem solvers themselves.

Example of the problem-centered approach is presented below:

School Z believes that a learner should be trained to solve real life problems that come
about because of the needs, interests and abilities of the learners. Problems persistent in life
and society that affect daily living are also considered. Most of the school activities revolve
around finding solutions to problems like poverty, drug problems, climate change, natural
calamities and many more. Since the school is using a problem-based design, the same
approach is used. Case study and practical work are the teaching strategies that are utilized.
Problem-centered approach has become popular in many schools.

We have given examples of curriculum design and the corresponding approaches. Again, the
choice of the design is influenced by philosophical and psychological beliefs of the designer. It is
very important that as a curricularist, you will be able to understand the different design models and
how to approach each one.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Take Action
Activity 1: The K to 12 Curriculum: What Design?
Get hold of materials about the K to 12. Discuss with your group mates and answer the
following:

1. What kind of curriculum design influences mostly the K to 12 Curriculum? (A) Subject-Centered?
(B) Learner-Centered (C) Problem-Centered? (You may have more than one answer)
2. Cite an illustrative example that relates to your choice.
3. Place your answer on a matrix like the one below.

Types of Curriculum Design in K to 12 Illustrative Example

Subject-Centered Design/Approach
Learner-Centered Design/Approach
Problem-Centered Design/Approach

ASSESSMENT TASK

Self-Check
Identify what kind of design and approach are utilized in the following descriptions.
1. Only students who master the subject matter can succeed.
2. Students are encouraged to work together to find answers to their task.
3. No learners is left behind in reading, writing and arithmetic.
4. School means survival of the fittest.
5. Teacher extends class because the children have not mastered the lesson.
6. Lesson deals with finding solution to everyday problem.
7. Differentiated instruction should be utilized for different ability groups.
8. Accumulation of knowledge is the primary importance in teaching.
9. Learning how to learn is observable among students.
10. Students are problem-finders and solution-givers.
be Selection of
REFLECTION
Self-Reflect
1. Choose one statement and reflect on it. What do you think and feel about it?

Statement No. 1 – “Schools that approach the curriculum as subject-centered, make robots out of
the students.”

Statement No. 2 – “In schools where child-centeredness is the approach, discipline is weak.”
Statement No. 3 – “Students are too young to solve life’s problem, why should they do problem
solving in school?”

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Study Guide in PROF ED 109 The Teacher and the School Curriculum Module No. 4

Lesson 3. Curriculum Mapping

MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. define curriculum mapping as part of curriculum designing

2. identify the purpose of curriculum maps
3. familiarize oneself of some examples of curriculum maps

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

Take Off
A curriculum design is reflected in a written curriculum either as a lesson plan, syllabus, unit
plan or a bigger curriculum like K to 12. Before a teacher shall put this plan or design into action,
he/she must need to do curriculum map.
Have you ever wondered how to pace your lesson, so that it will cover a period of time like
hours, weeks, quarters, semester or the whole year?
This lesson will teach us, curricularists, an important process and tool in curriculum
development which is Curriculum Mapping and Curriculum Maps.

Content Focus
Curriculum Mapping
Curriculum mapping is a process or procedure that follows curriculum designing. It is done
before curriculum implementation or the operationalization of the written curriculum. This process
was introduced by Heidi Hayes Jacobs in 2004 in her book Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping
(ASCD, 2004). This approach is an ongoing process or “work-in-progress”. It is not a time initiative
but a continuing action, which involves the teacher and other stakeholders, who have common
concerns. Curriculum mapping can be done by teachers alone, a group of teachers teaching the
same subject, the department, the whole school or district or the whole educational system.
Some curricularists would describe curriculum mapping as making a map to success. There
are common questions that are asked by different stakeholders like teachers, colleagues, parents,
school officials and the community as well. These questions may include:

1. What do my students learn?

2. What do they study in the first quarter?
3. What are they studying in the school throughout the year?
4. Do my co-teachers who handle the same subject, cover the same content? Achieve the
same outcomes? Use similar strategies?
5. How do I help my students understand the connections between my subjects and other
subjects within the year?

Curriculum mapping may be able to answer these questions above. Furthermore, mapping
will produce a curriculum map, which is a very functional tool in curriculum development.

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Curriculum Mapping Process

There are many ways of doing things, according to what outcome one needs to produce.
This is also true with curriculum mapping. However, whatever outcomes (map) will be made; there
are suggested steps to follow.

Example A.

1. Make a matrix or a special spread sheet.

2. Place a timeline that you need to cover. (one quarter, one semester, one year). This should be
dependent on time frame of a particular curriculum that was written.
3. Enter the intended learning outcomes, skills needed to be taught or achieved at the end of
the teaching.
4. Enter in the same matrix the content areas/subject areas to be covered.
5. Align and name each resource available such as textbooks, workbooks, module next to
subject areas.
6. Enter the teaching-learning methods to be used to achieve the outcomes.
7. Align and enter the assessment procedure and tools to the intended learning outcomes,
content areas and resources.
8. Circulate the map among all involved personnel for their inputs.
9. Revise and refine map based on suggestions and distribute to all concerned.

You will find Example A as a component of an OBE-Inspired syllabus for the higher
education. However, this can be modified for basic education to serve the specific purpose as you
will see in some maps.

Example B. (For a degree program in college)*

1. Make a matrix or a spreadsheet.
2. Identify the degree or program outcomes (ex. BEEd, or BSEED)
3. Identify the subjects or courses under the degree (GenEd, Prof Ed, and Major for BSEd)
4. List the subjects along the vertical cells of the matrix in a logical or chronological order.
5. List the degree program outcomes along the horizontal cell (use code as PO1, PO2… if
outcomes are too long to fit in the cells) PO means Program Outcomes.
6. Cross the Subject and Outcome, and determine if such subject accomplishes the outcomes as
either Learned (L), Performed (P), or given Opportunity (O). Place the code in the
corresponding cell.
7. Fill up the cells.
8. After accomplishing the map, used it as a guide for all teachers teaching the course for
students to complete the degree in four years.

The Curriculum Map

Curriculum maps are visual timelines that outline desired learning outcomes to be achieved,
contents, skills and values taught instructional time, assessment to be used, and the overall student
movement towards the attainment of the intended outcomes. Curricular maps may be simple or
elaborate that can be used by individual teacher, a department, the whole school or educational
system. A map is geared to a school calendar.
Curriculum maps provide quality control of what are taught in schools to maintain excellence,
efficiency and effectiveness. It is intended to improve instruction and maintain quality of education
that all stakeholders need to be assured.

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Study Guide in PROF ED 109 The Teacher and the School Curriculum Module No. 4

Sometimes, parents and teachers would ask questions like: Why is my friend’s son studying
decimals in Miss Bernardo’s class and my own son is not studying the same in Miss Julia’s class when
they are of the same grade level? or “why do some of our students recognize the parts of speech
while others are totally lost?

Parents, teachers and the whole educational community can look at the curriculum map to
see that intended outcomes and content are covered. A map can reassure stakeholders specific
information for pacing, and alignment of the subject horizontally, or vertically. It will also avoid
redundancy, inconsistencies, and misalignment. Courses that are not correctly aligned will allow
teachers to quickly assess the mastery of the skills in the previous grade, to avoid unnecessary
reteaching.
Horizontal alignment, called sometimes as “pacing guide”, will make all teachers teaching the
same subject in a grade level follow the same timeline and accomplishing the same learning
outcomes. This is necessary for state-mandated, standard-based assessment that we have in schools.
Vertical alignment, will see to it that concept development which may be in hierarchy or in spiral
form does not overlap but building from a simple to more complicated concepts and skills.
Alignment, either vertical or horizontal, will also develop interdisciplinary connections among
teachers and students, between and among courses. Teachers can verify that skills and concept are
addressed in other courses or to higher levels, thus making learning more relevant.
A curriculum map is always a work of progress that enables the teacher or the curriculum
review team to create and recreate the curriculum. It provides good information for modification of
curriculum, changing of standards and competencies in order to find ways to build connections in
the elements of the curricula

Example of a Curriculum Map

Here are two examples of a curriculum map. Sample A is for Basic Education and Sample B is
for a College Level.

Example A: Excerpt from DepEd Curriculum Guide for Science 3 shows a sample of a map for Quarter
1 and 2. A column for Code was not included.

ELEMENTARY SCIENCE GRADE 3

Note: For Quarter 2, there are still two major content which are 3, Living Things 3.1 Plants and 4,
Heredity: Inheritance and Variation
Content Performance
Content Learning Competency Learning Materials
Standards Standards
Grade 3 – Matter
FIRST QUARTER/FIRST GRADING PERIOD
1. Properties The learners The learners should The learners should Learning Guide in
1.1 Characteristics of demonstrate be able to … be able to … Science & Health:
solids, liquid, understanding of … Mixtures
gases
ways of sorting group common describe the different BEAM-Guide 3
materials and objects found at objects based on their Unit 4 Materials
describing them as home and in school characteristics (e.g. LG-Science 3
solid, liquid or gas according to solids, Shape, Weigh. Materials Module 1
based on observable liquids and gas Volume, Ease of Flow)
properties

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classify objects and

materials as solid,
liquid, and gas based
on some observable
characteristics

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Study Guide in PROF ED 109 The Teacher and the School Curriculum Module No. 4

describe ways on the

proper use and
handling solid, liquid
and gas found at
home and in school
Changes that Effects of temperature investigate the describe changes in BEAM-G3 Unit 3
materials undergo on materials different changes in materials based on Materials-Distance
materials as affected the effect of Learning Module
by temperature temperature BEAM-G3 Unit 3
4.1 Solid to liquid Materials Module 1
4.2 Liquid to solid 44-49
4.3 Liquid to gas
4.4 Solid to gas

Grade 3 –Living Things and their Environment

SECOND QUARTER/SECOND GRADING PERIOD
1. Living Things The learners The learners should The learners should
1.1 Humans demonstrate be able to … be able to …
1.2 A. Sense Organs understanding of …

parts and functions of practice healthful 1. describe the parts

the sense organs habits in taking care and functions of
of the sense organs the sense organs of
the human body
2. enumerate
healthful habits to
protect the sense
organs
2. Living Things parts and functions of enumerate ways of 3. describe the
2.1 Animals animals based on grouping animals animals in their
their structure and based on their immediate
importance to structure and surroundings BEAM-Grade 3- Unit
humans importance 2 Animals DLP 19
4. identify the parts BEAM-Grade 3- Unit
and functions of 2 Animals DLP
animals Science 3 31-32
5. classify animals Learning Guide in
according to parts Science & Health:
and use; body The Body Guards
6. state the
importance of
animals to humans
7. describe ways of
proper handling of
animals

Sample A I – Science Curriculum Map Showing the Sequence of Domain

for the Year per Quarter
Qtr G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10
Force, Living Things
Earth and
1 Matter Matter Matter Matter Matter Motion, and their
Science
Energy Environment

Living Things Living Things Living Things Living Things Living Things Force,
Earth and
2 and their and their and their and their and their Matter Motion,
Space
Environment Environment Environment Environment Environment Energy
3 Force, Motion, Force, Motion, Force, Force, Force, Matter Earth and Living Things
Energy Energy Motion, Motion, Motion, Space and their

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Energy Energy Energy Environment

Earth and Earth and Earth and Earth and Earth and Living
Space Space Space Space Space Things and Force,
4 their Motion, Matter
Environmen Energy
t

Sample B – Curriculum Map for Bachelor of Elementary Education

(Professional Education Course)
Outcomes PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8
Sample Subjects
Child Dev P L L O L O O O
Facilitating Human
P P L O L O L O
Learning
Social Dimensions P L L O O L O
Teaching Profession P P P P O P P
Principles of Teaching P P P P L O P O
Assessment of Teaching P P P P L O P O
Educational Technology P P P P L O P O
Curriculum Development P P P P O P P
Developmental Reading P P P P O O P O
Field Study P P O P O P P P
Practice Teaching P P P P P P P P

Legend:
L – Learned Outcomes) knowledge, skills, values/outcomes achieved in the subject
P – Practiced the learned outcomes (knowledge, skills, value
O –Opportunity to learn and practice (opportunities to learn and practice knowledge, skills and
values but not taught formally)

Note:
1. Not all professional subjects are entered in the matrix.
2. Desired outcomes for the professional course are:

PO1 – Applied basic and higher 21st century skills

PO2 – Acquired deep understanding of the learning process
PO3 – Comprehend knowledge of the content they will teach
PO4 – Applied teaching process skills (curriculum designing, materials development,
educational assessment, teaching approaches)
PO5 – Facilitated learning of different types of learners in diverse learning environments
PO6 – Directed experiences in the field and classrooms (observation, teaching, assistance,
practice teaching)
PO7 – Demonstrated professional and ethical standards of the profession
PO8 – Demonstrated creative and innovative thinking and practice of alternative teaching
approaches.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Take Action
Activity 1: Let’s Apply
1. Using the Sample A1 for Science Curriculum Map, what knowledge and understanding have
you learned? Analyze the matrix and answer the questions that follow:
1.1 What are the main clusters of science content that students should learn from G 3 to G 10?
1.2 How does science content progress from G 3 to G 10?

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1.3 When you look at and analyze the map, what summary ideas can you give?
1.4 Science Curriculum is spiral. How do you explain that in terms of what you see in the map?

2. Using Sample B, analyze and answer the following questions briefly:

2.1 What is the meaning of Practiced with a green background for Subject Teaching Profession
and PO1 Applied basic and higher 21st century skills?
2.2 What is your interpretation of the colored cell with Learned that cross between subject Social
Dimensions and PO5, Facilitate learning of different types of learners in diverse learning
environment?
2.3 What does the colored Opportunity in the cell of the subject Curriculum Development that
crosses with the PO6 Direct experience in the field and classroom (observations, teaching
assistance, practice teaching)?

ASSESSMENT TASK

Self-Check
Make a wise decision. Show me that you understood the lesson. Know the difference between
YES and NO answer to each of the question.

1. Does curriculum mapping help a teacher understand what to accomplish within the period of
time?
2. Is a curriculum map a permanent document?
3. Can a curriculum map help explain to parents what their children are learning in school?
4. Is curriculum mapping a task of only one teacher?
5. Can a curriculum map as a tool be used in instructional supervision?
be Selection of
REFLECTION
Self-Reflect
Reflect on the process of curriculum mapping and the sample curriculum map in this lesson. As a
future teacher, how will the process of mapping and the map as a tool help you in your profession?
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REFERENCES

Bilbao, Purita P. et.al. Curriculum Development for Teachers. Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City
2015

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Pawilen, Greg T. The Teacher and the School Curriculum: A Guide to Curriculum Development
Practice. First Edition. Rex Book Store. Manila, Philippines. 2019

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